Meet Cila, a veteran cop with a sour outlook and anger issues, who expects nothing more from life besides the smell of ozone and blinding neon lights. Follow her story dealing with mature themes in a demo introduction to the story and get ready for a Kickstarter campaign this July!
Developer Radi Art and publisher Top Hat Studios have recently released a demo for SYNERGIA, a unique cyberpunk visual novel exploring sexuality, philosophy, and the meaning of being human. SYNERGIA is a traditional visual novel style game but features short, interactive segments, as well as short theatrical animations. It departs from the traditional anime aesthetics of most visual novels, and opts to blend anime-inspired visual styles with unique western influences, with incredibly meticulous attention to details.
At the end of the world, sometimes love is the ultimate crime.
The story follows Cila, a veteran cop with a sour outlook and anger issues, who expects nothing more from life besides the smell of ozone, blinding neon lights and the ever-present manhole steam. At least, until a shady friend replaces her broken-down housedroid as a favor. Advanced, more efficient and remarkably perceptive unit M.A.R.A. begins to penetrate Cila’s toughened exterior and possibly even heal her new owner’s old wounds – if Cila can decipher the recurring nightmare the process brings. Soon Cila and Mara forge a unique – if sometimes uneasy – bond. Unbeknownst to Cila, just as her life begins to find its new normal, the technological giant Velta Labs gets wind of Mara’s existence and takes a mysterious interest in the android. A war unlike any before it is brewing on the horizon, its players are silently being selected and one android’s fate may spell the difference between peace, war, the blossoming of a new religion, or a technological singularity beyond comprehension.
Unlike some visual novels, SYNERGIA does not feature adult content, but deals with mature themes and contains content not suitable for some audiences. The demo features the introduction to the story, following the first few chapters and leading up to the first major event; it places between 0.5 – 1 hours in length, and helps introduce the characters and the world as well as the overall art and atmosphere.
Some features include:
- 20+ characters, all with interesting backgrounds and personalities deeply woven into the narrative.
- Choices that deeply affect the protagonist’s journey and world around them, with multiple endings available.
- An estimated 6-9 hours of gameplay.
- Nearly 100 combined, unique backgrounds and CGs.
- A unique, vibrant art aesthetic that pervades the neon dystopian setting of the game.
- A beautiful, vivid soundtrack that complements the game’s aesthetic, composed by one of the composers of Katawa Shoujo and Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story.
A Kickstarter campaign is planned for July 8th, which will help fund more content for the game, as well as ports and translations. It will be $11.99 at launch, with plans to launch later in the year.
